


Secrets Mean Nothing When You're Saying Goodbye

by StarShineRobotics



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Danny is fucking pissed, Gen, Identity Reveal, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-03 19:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20458310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarShineRobotics/pseuds/StarShineRobotics
Summary: Danny makes a mistake and has to leave town stay alive, but he decides to leave a message for Amity Park before he goes and explains everything. Maybe he overshares, but then again, does it even matter anymore?





	1. Sticks and Stones

**Author's Note:**

> Plot bunny won't leave you alone? Smack that bitch into a word document when you're half awake. 
> 
> Canon divergent. Post Phantom Planet without the indentity reveal. PP also takes place during Danny's Senior year.

The screen flickered with static for a few moments before it cleared. The room on screen was dark and empty, like an unfinished basement or some kind of old forgotten bunker. A shape obscuring part of the screen moves back, stepping away to sit in a seat just out of view. Green eyes, normally so vibrantly neon, were dull and listless, the bright glow normally surrounding his body faint, barely giving him an outline in the darkness.  


"Hey… It's me. Phantom. But, you all know that already."  


The ghost boy sighed, eyes downcast for a moment.  


"So, I have some news for you guys. I know some of you will be happy about it. A lot of you, actually, now that I think about it."  
The scoff that leaves him is hollow, a hint of bitterness escaping with it. He's quiet again, and it stretches for minutes this time, his eyes seeming to search for something in the darkness beyond the camera. His voice is jarring compared to the previous silence once he speaks again.  


"I'm leaving… I'm leaving Amity Park."  


A pause, as if waiting for some sort of unheard response from the other side of the screen. when none came, his eyes narrowed.  


"Well… By the time you guys watch this i'm probably already gone, so… Yeah… Honestly… I probably should have left sooner. Years ago. I shouldn't have bothered to…"  


He cut himself off, burying his face in his gloved hands, hair like shimmering stardust obscuring him from view. After some time, he took a deep breath and raised his head, eyes flashing with newfound determination.  


"You all have questions, and I'm probably going to regret answering them later, but…"  


Another scoff.  


"Honestly, right now, I don't care."  


The ghost boy silently rose from his unseen seat, staring straight at the viewers he couldn't see.  


"My name is Danny Phantom. Four years ago, I died in an accident. My parents are scientists, and it was their experiment- their invention that killed me. I died, and when I died, I decided it was my job to protect them. To protect everyone. I wasn't mad… They didn't know they… They didn't…"  


He falters a moment, eyes flickering away from the screen.  


"They didn't even know I died, and don't get me wrong, i was glad they didnt know! I didn't want them to… I thought… I thought if they found out what happened, if they found out what i was… I was sure they'd kill me."  


Phantom pauses and he rubs his neck, sighing yet again.  


"I know that doesn't make sense, but im getting to it. Uh… How to best go about this…"  


His hand slips from his neck to clap against its twin, a look of concentration on his brow.  


"Four years ago… I died… But, I also didn't. What i am… Well, I'm a ghost, but… Uh…"  


He groans to himself, and if one listened close enough they might hear him say something along the lines of "ripping off the bandaid."  


"There are ghosts, and there are humans, but… There's also something in the middle. I'm one of those in the middle. A Halfa. Someone who's a ghost, but also a human. And before anyone starts freaking out, relax. There's only… Well i can't say exactly how many there are since im really close to one and want her- uh, that person protected, but there's less than 5 of us. So, again, relax."  


He says it and waves it off as if he didn't just drop a massive scientific bombshell.  


""But Phantom, what does that mean!?" Great question, random viewer! What that means is-"  


Through his explanation he had started to pace the small room, though he stops to face the camera again.  


"I'm a ghost… But I'm also a human. When i'm not off fighting ghosts or… Flying for my afterlife from hunters… I'm like you. I can make myself look human. I… "Live-""  


He makes air quotes with his fingers and rolls his eyes. He starts pacing again.  


"-among the rest of you. I go to the movies with friends, i go get food from Nasty Burger, i go to school… Well… Went to school. I'm leaving, so it's not like I'll be at my own graduation. Not that it matters. Can't be an astronaut with my GPA. Yeah, the infamous Danny Phantom has D in almost every class, laugh it up."  


Phantom turns back to the screen, green eyes flaring and pointing an accusatory finger.  


"YOU try keeping your grades up while trying to keep your town safe from ghosts 24/7, while also making sure you keep your identity safe!"  


His anger fades after a moment.  


"That… That's what I've had to do for the past 4 years. I… I was 14. I've been doing this since i died, i… I was just a kid."  


The way he says it is almost a revelation of his own, like he only just realized how messed up his whole situation was. He was a child and took the weight of the world on his shoulders, the lives of hundreds in the hands of someone who was barely a teenager. He should have been playing games, studying for school, worrying about girls and acne.  
Instead, he worried about ghosts and saving lives and avoiding the hunters sent by the very town he swore to protect.  
He wasn't a child anymore. Phantom had grown over those four years. He'd grown massive, easily passing the 6ft mark. His once thin and willowy body filled out with toned muscles strengthened from years of battle. His shoulders were wider, his jaw more chiseled and square, even his snowy hair seemed to gain a weightlessness to it, as if floating in water.  
But despite all his growth and all his battles, he was still young. A man barely over 18. A kid who had to grow up far too soon.  


The young Phantom sank back into his seat, studying the screen. The viewer on the other side he would never see.  


"To be honest… I was glad after the asteroid happened. I thought since i saved the world… Maybe things would get a little easier. Everyone saw what I did. I saved the World. Both worlds. How could anyone doubt that I was the good guy after saving the damn planet? I thought… Maybe now people will respect me? Maybe the hunters will leave me alone? I thought people would finally trust me to keep them safe… What a joke."  


Phantom didn't bother trying to fake a laugh that time. His voice was void of any of his usual confidence and bravado.  


"You know what happened instead? I got an ecto blast to the face not even two weeks later. It was my own parents."  


His hand began to glow as he raised it by his face, the light bright enough to reveal the faint remains of burns along his left cheek, visible even in the dim room. His hand dropped and he rose to his feet again, wandering around the room for a few moments before he stopped again, his back to the screen.  


"I couldn't believe it. I mean, they'd been hunting me for years, they didn't know who I was, so it made sense, but after the asteroid, i thought they would stop, but… "Once a ghost, always a ghost,""  


His voice steadily became more bitter the longer he spoke, quoting the things his parents had said.  


"You can't fool us, Phantom! Saving the earth, doesn't change what you are! One day you'll stop pretending and act your true nature, ghost scum!"  


He spat the quote like it was something vile gathering in the back of his throat.  


"Even after saving the lives of every living thing on the planet, all that mattered to them was that I was a ghost. So, what did I do? What did I finally do? Well… I told them the truth. I told them who I was. I showed them."  


In that moment, rings of light like halos flashed around his body and rose, disappearing moments later. What they left behind was shaggy jet black hair, baggy dark blue jeans hung off narrow hips, a red hoodie draped over broad shoulders.  


"I showed them who I was. That i was their son. I thought maybe that was my best chance of finally getting them to stop. I didn't want to, but I didn't see any other way to get them to stop. It was my best chance. And you know what?"  


His voice dropped to something like a growl, deep, bitter, dangerous.  


"It did nothing."  


The rings reappeared and overtook him, changing him back to Phantom before he turned back. Green, pupiless eyes glared at the screen filled with rage.  


"They wouldn't listen! It didn't matter that I was their son! To them i was nothing! All they saw when they looked at me was a ghost! An abomination! A freak!"  


He'd begun to float as his voice raised, hands glowing that toxic green, slow white hair whipping like a violent wind was surrounding him.  


"FOR YEARS I SPENT MY EVERY WAKING MOMENT TRYING TO PROVE MYSELF, TO PROVE MY WORTH TO THIS TOWN, TO MYSELF, TO THEM, AND ALL OF IT MEANT NOTHING! NOTHING BUT A POTENTIAL LAB RAT, SOMETHING THEY COULD TEAR APART MOLECULE BY MOLECULE!"  


Phantom clutched his head and tangled in his wind whipped hair, strands acting more like a flame now.  


"THEY SHUNNED ME BECAUSE IN THEIR EYES, THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL A FENTON COULD BE A GHOST!"  


His eyes had turned red during his shouting, something he seemed to have realised and started to struggle to control, the tears coming to his eyes streamed up his face toward the ceiling, gravity meaning nothing to them.  


"MY OWN PARENTS KILLED ME AND NOW THEY WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH ME. I'M NOT THEIR SON ANYMORE. I'M JUST AN ANIMAL TO THEM. THEY MADE ME THIS WAY. IT'S THEIR FAULT!"  


He continued to repeat it like a mantra, his booming voice slowly softening to a whimper as sorrow overtook him. The green surrounding his hands faded, the wind surrounding him slowing to a standstill. His hair, still clutched in his hands, returned from a white inferno back to its airy weightlessness.  


After a time, the Phantom sank from the air back into his chair, head hung low when his fingers finally released the death grip they had on his hair, and his shoulders shook with silent, broken sobs.  


"I don't wanna hate them. I… I don't wanna go. I should have let them keep hunting me. I should have kept my mouth shut… I messed up. I really messed up."  


He didn't care about keeping a strong face or hiding such powerful anger. It didn't matter anymore. People had their views of him, and that was it. He was leaving anyway. What did it matter if they saw him cry.  
Phantom dragged his arm across his eyes in a vain attempt to dry his flowing tears.  


"It doesn't matter anyway. It's done. They know, and now i have to leave. If I stay, they'll catch me and kill me, or worse. Probably worse. I don't wanna die… Not fully. Not yet. Not like that."  


Dull green eyes return to the screen, all signs of his previous rage gone, replaced by the puffy bags gathering under his eyes.  


"Sam, Tucker… I love you guys. I'm sorry i didn't tell you guys i was leaving, but… If i did, i know you'd try to come with me, and i… I can't let you two uproot your whole lives for my sake. You both deserve so much better than that. And Jazz, you're the best sister i could ask for. Thanks, for covering for me for all these years. Thanks to all three of you. I don't know what I would have done without you."  
Once more Phantom stood, approaching the screen. It jerked and raised up to face level with him.  


"To the citizens of Amity Park, the ones who like me anyway… Don't worry about the ghosts. You've got the Red Huntress to protect you guys. And that other teen hunter squad that Vlad hired. They're not that bad, I guess. As long as they stop charging people, like, 600$ for fighting ghosts… well, actually, just stick to Red. She's kind of a jerk at times, but she's your best option. No offense, Red."  


The sheepish smile on his face is gone as fast as it appears.  


"Mom, Da-... Jack, Maddie… Do me a favor. Consider it my dying wish, if you have to, just… Please,"  


The rings appear and pass over his body, only this time, hes facing the screen, letting everyone watching see the baby blue eyes of Danny Fenton staring back at them.  


"Don't look for me."  


Static takes over then the screen turns black.


	2. Message Recieved

Rain poured down on the empty streets of the old town, the steady red of the nearby traffic light shimmered across the wet concrete in its own dance, brought on by the falling droplets above. Any other time, he might have loved to admire the outside world. How the rain drowned out the sounds of the occasional car passing by. The soft breeze with that hint of chill that usually follows the storm. 

For a moment it's as if he's back home in his childhood room, tv muted and window cracked to feel that cold air, to hear the soft pattern of droplets hitting the earth below. Take a second to listen. To breathe. In those moments, nothing mattered. Nothing was wrong. All that existed was him, in that moment, in his childhood home. Everything was perfect and at peace.

But he opens his eyes and finds that no, he's not back in his old bedroom, wrapped under warm covers. The wind wasn't a gentle caress, it was angry and unrelenting in its mission to chilled him to the bone. The quiet pitter patter of droplets wasn't a soft hum, but a crashing chorus that assaulted his ears and whistled with the wind. He was not home, he was there, standing lost in the empty streets of this old town in the middle of the night, sopping wet under a streetlight, unsure of where to go.

He missed his home.

He missed his friends.

He missed his parents.

Numbly, Danny continued on, walking slowly through the freezing rain, looking for somewhere, anywhere to stop and rest for the night. If he really wanted, he could just fly off and phase his way into the first abandoned building he found, but he decided against it. The idea of using his powers now just reminded him of his parents, of what they said, the way they looked at him. No, he wouldn't use them unless the situation was dire. A little rain won't kill him, he can tough it out.

It wasn't long until he finally spotted a light off in the distance. He quickened his pace, gripping tight to the strap of the backpack slung over his shoulder. When he drew close enough, he found the light was a neon "OPEN" lamp hung in the window of a bar. He didn't care if it was a bar or a haunted chuck-e-cheese restaurant, what mattered was that it was dry, void of drafts, and hopefully served food.

Danny finally stumbled into the bar after a moment of struggling with the heavy door, taking greedy gasps of air to warm his chilled lungs. He'd been trudging through the rain for hours. It was still daylight when the storm had started.

Gathering his bearings finally, Danny raises his head to look around the room. It was a homey little bar made of dark wood with rickety old stools bolted to the floor. Opposite of the bar had boothed tables, all lined up along the wide open windows. 

At the bar stood an older man with a large full mustache and a belly full of beer, wiping away at a freshly cleaned glass. From the way he occasionally nodded his head, he looked to be conversing with the other two patrons in front of them. They were also men, construction workers, if the tools hanging off their old leather belts were anything to go by. 

The bartender turned towards him, eyes barely visible under eyebrows just as impressively bushy as his mustache, and Danny found it ironic that the top of the man's head was completely bald. 

He waited, but when Danny didn't move to step out of the threshold he nodded to the bar in front of him in a silent invitation. He felt hesitant, but the prospect of a warm meal was enough to pull Danny towards the bar. He slid his sopping backpack off of his shoulder where it made a wet "thud" on the hardwood below then pulled himself into one of the stools, being sure to keep at least two spaces between him and the other two patrons to his left.

"ID."

What little warmth that started to return to his blood ran cold. Of course he'd ask for an ID. It's a bar, idiot.

"Uh… I'm not here to drink. You… You sell food here, right?"

The bartender grunted in affirmation, arms crossing over his chest.

"Still need your ID. I like to know who I'm servin'."

No dice. He'd try to be more insistant, but this guy doesn't seem like the type to change his mind easily, and there was food on the line. He negotiated with himself as he maneuvered his wallet from his back pocket. If he doesn't know who he is, great! If not, he'll just have to use his powers to cut and run. Being discovered definitely counted as an emergency, right? Right.

He retrieves and opens the worn leather of his wallet to remove his license, trying to seem as casual as possible with the exchange, but the tension in his shoulders made his movements stiff and robotic. The old barkeep takes the card in one of his large hands and gives it a look over. Danny can feel his eyes staring at him, pulling his hood farther down on his head, holding his breath. 

_ Please don't recognize me… _

After what felt like an eternity he hears the soft slap of his ID landing on the bar in front of him, daring a peek as he reaches to take it. The barkeeper's no longer looking at him, having turned to reach for the menus under the counter, dropping that next in front of Danny. He quickly put his license back in and pockets his wallet, breathing out a sigh of relief. He wasn't recognised. That was one small victory. He needed as many of those as he could get.

Within 15 minutes Danny received his generously sized burger and cherishing every bite of it. It was more homemade, leaving that charcoal aftertaste on his tongue that the Nasty Burgers at home lacked. It wasn't by any means the most delicious thing he's ever had, but he wasn't about to be picky about it.

"Shh shh- Harold, shut up. Jamie! Turn up the TV, wouldja?"

The barkeeper, Jamie apparently, reached up to the old box tv hung precariously over the top left corner behind the bar and held down one of the buttons on the bottom of the screen, the voice coming from the old television rising with a tinny undertone.

"-ing from Amity Park, going on four days since local hero; Danny Phantom, left a goodbye message for its residents."

Danny choked on a bit of his burger and thumped his chest to dislodge it. None of the other three men paid him any mind. Their attention was fully on the reporter on screen.

"Since it's initial broadcast on Amity Park news channel 7, the goodbye message has gone viral, and has been met with a mixture of reactions. Some have been celebrating Phantom's supposed retirement, but for most people, it's nothing short of a tragedy."

"That's just bullshit, ain't it?"

The man who asked Jamie to turn up the TV huffed and threw down his rejected fry back onto his plate.

"What're you talkin' about, Pete?"

"The ghost kid! You heard what happened, its bull!"

Pete must not have gotten the reaction from his friend that he wanted and huffed again.

"You remember that asteroid thing that happened about a month ago?"

"The one that almost destroyed the planet? Hard not to."

"You know th-"

"Pete, i know about the ghost kid. I'm not stupid. I just didn't know something else was going on."

"He's gone missin'. Vanished. Pulled a Houdini."

"Ghosts do that, last I heard."

"Don't be a wiseass, Harold. My point is, apparently he's been driven outta town!"

"You're kidding."

Danny signed quietly to himself and rubbed at his temple, barely registering what the man down the bar had just said. he could feel the start of a headache approaching. Of course he couldn't just find a place to eat like a normal person. Now he has to sit there and listen to more people spit acid on his alter ego.

"It ain't fair to him!"

Danny cracked his eyes open and frowned, confused.

"They got this kid riskin' everythin' he's got for this whole damn town, beatin' shit outta ghosts and all that, protecting them, and what do the ungrateful fucks do? They drive him outta town, and for what? Bein' a ghost? Last I heard, he's the whole damn reason we still got a planet to sit our sorry asses on in the first place! Or did they just decide to forget that little fact? I can't imagine the kind of bullshit he's been dealin' with. Bullshit. It's all bullshit. They didn't deserve that kid."

He raises his head enough to peek over at Pete from under his hood, eyebrows raised in shock. He doesn't remember the last time he heard people say something positive about him, nothing that wasn't from Sam, Tucker, or Jazz anyway. The disappointed look on the other man's face was enough to ease any doubts he had about his words being genuine. If only they were enough.

Danny's eyes downcast to his neglected burger as that all too familiar ache rose into his chest. He finds himself again missing his hometown. His parents, his sister, Tucker, and-

"Danny!"

His heart jumped out of his chest as his head snapped up. Was that- no, it couldn't be. He turns to look where he heard her voice, finding himself looking back at the TV screen to see-

"Sam…"

His voice comes out barely a whisper and he's too transfixed on her image to notice Jamie look at him.

There she was, dark hair done up in that familiar little ponytail, purple lips and purple eyes that shone like amethysts under moonlight. 

Wow, Danny, cheesy much?

The purple of her irises however were joined by deep, dark bags that hung below her lashes. She was exhausted. He knows immediately that she's been crying, and he knows it's because of him.

She's grabbed one of the many microphones from one of the many reporters surrounding her, eyes boring into the camera, as if she could see him through its lense.

"Danny, i don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, I need you to listen."

How could he not?

"Your parents still don't believe you. They think Danny Phantom kidnapped Danny _ Fenton _, and they're going to come for you. We tried to convince them, but of course they didn't listen to us."

Us. That's when he spots Tucker sliding in behind her, waving away further reporters that had been following him, no doubt. He looks just as worn out, probably having spent the last few days trying to find any kind of signal to track him down with.

Danny made sure he left his cell and Fenton phones behind, (and destroyed the Boomerang. Again.) having known Tucker would use those to get his location. The only tech he'd brought with him was the Fenton thermos, and that was as much out of need as it was nostalgia. It was old and dented and the paint was chipping away, but it still did it's job well. He still needed it, just in case.

Sam's voice catches and pulls his attention to the screen again. Her lips are pulled down in that pout she always did when he did something exceptionally stupid. Like running away from home without them, for example.

"You're an idiot."

He can't stop himself from snorting. That's fair.

"Yeah, you're right, we would have gone with you, but not because we feel obligated to, but because we _ want to, _ Danny."

"You really think we wanna stick around here without you? You're nuts, dude. Amity Park is dull without you here."

Tucker chimes in once he finally manages to push his way up beside Sam.

"So listen here, bright eyes. This is what we're gonna do. We're going to see Clockwork. He's going to tell us where you are, we're going to come find you, and you're not moving until we get there. So you better park your ass, got it? No arguing about our "future" or that we "deserve better," No. Shut up. We're coming with you, and that's final. So don't you dare move." 

Everything after she storms off screen is a blur of conflicting feelings. He's mad that his best friends are going against his wishes and are trying to track him down, yet he's also relieved that he might see them again. Might. Might see him. No, cant. They can't come with him. They should be doing something else with their lives rather than chasing after a runaway halfa. He could say the same about his parents, but he'd expected them not to listen to him. 

Honestly, he should have expected Sam and Tucker to do this. They always made sure to stress that they're a team and that they stick together, no matter what. He wished they weren't so damn loyal, for their own sake. It hurts to turn his back on them, it hurts more than anything.

Hurt more than a shot to the face from his own parents.

They were coming for him, and he needed to keep moving.

Danny found himself rubbing the burnt skin of his cheek under the awning of the bar door, looking out over the dark wet streets. The rain hadn't slowed an inch, but the wind had turned into a more calming breeze that didn't freeze him as quickly as it had before.

A hand on his shoulder had him nearly jumping out of his skin and his head snaps around to see Jamie the barkeeper looking over the rainy streets beside him. The hand on his shoulder slides off to dig into his greasy apron pocket where he pulls out the 10 dollars Danny had given him for his meal.

"S-sir?"

"You'll need it."

Brows knit in confusion, he cautiously allowed himself to gingerly raise a hand to take back the offered bills, muttering a quiet thanks.

"If you need a place to hide," 

The old barkeep, a man of seemingly few words continues.

"You know where to come." 

A beat of silence and then understanding dawns on him. At a loss for words, the Halfa just nods and looks away, unsure how to process the offer of asylum. The offer sounds nice, real nice, but the barkeep knows as much as he does that he can't take the offer. Not now, anyway. Finalizing his decision, he takes those first few steps back out into the pouring rain.

"Phantom."

Danny turns back to see the older man now looking at him, bushy face making it impossible to read his expression. After a moment, he nods to him.

"Good luck."

A small feeling of relief bubbles in his chest at the barkeeper's approval, then he remembers the other man in the bar who ranted about how poorly his town had treated him and that feeling grows stronger. Approval. Acceptance. That's all he'd wanted back in Amity Park, and here he is, getting it from two strangers he'd never met and will probably never see again.

Some boyish part of him encourages him to show off and how can he resist? His eyes flash their neon green as he gives Jamie his trademark smirk and disappears from view, only waiting long enough to see the older man's eyebrows raise in surprise before he laughs and flies off down the street and into the dreary sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who showed interest in the story and wanting it to continue. I hadn't planned for this to go on, so im basically writing shit as it comes to me.
> 
> Thanks again <3


End file.
